SAN FRANCISCO, June 6, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Celtaxsys, Inc., a private biopharmaceutical company defining new therapeutics in inflammation, announces the appointment of life sciences industry veteran, H. Daniel Perez, M.D., to its Board of Directors (BOD).

"We are delighted that Dr. Perez has joined the Celtaxsys team," says Dr. Michael R. Hanley, CEO and Chairman of the Board of Celtaxsys. "He brings more than 25 years of high level pharmaceutical executive experience to the BOD, in addition to scientific and commercial accomplishments related to Celtaxsys' mission. We look forward to working closely with Dr. Perez."

"I am excited about the opportunities that an innate immunity company brings to the therapeutic field," commented Dr. Perez. "This is an area that is close to my heart and has not received the attention that it deserves. I believe Celtaxsys will bring new paradigms to the forefront of innovative therapeutics."

H. Daniel Perez, M.D., is a Venture Partner with Bay City Capital, and was previously President and CEO of Berlex Biosciences until its acquisition by Bayer in 2006. He is on the Board of Directors of Cleveland Biolabs (a public company, CBLI), Presidio Pharmaceuticals, and F&P Pharmaceuticals (privately held companies), the Scientific Advisory Boards of Cardium (a public company, CDTP, CXM), Vertex Pharmaceuticals neurodegenerative diseases (VRTX, Nasdaq), Glaxo GSK, (Neuroinflammation, China) and the Advisory Board for the Gladstone Institutes at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). Dr. Perez received his medical degree in Buenos Aires, Argentina and completed his medical training at Beth Israel-Mount Sinai and New York University, in New York City. Dr. Perez has published extensively and is the author of a number of patents.

About Celtaxsys

Celtaxsys is a privately-held early discovery company with operations in San Francisco, CA and Atlanta, GA. The Company is focused on the discovery and development of therapeutics to treat inflammation by control of innate immunity. Celtaxsys has pioneered an innovative technology platform to identify novel immunoregulators based on migration and activation of cells from the innate immune system. Lead candidates are undergoing preclinical optimization.